Kernel vs Runtime TV
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Kernel
This AI-powered app helps you discover, organize, and share movies and TV shows. Describe a title to find it, get recommendations directly from friends, and track upcoming releases. It also shows you where to stream content across various services.
- AI-powered search by description
- Direct friend recommendations
- Create movie/TV show playlists
- Automatic release tracking and notifications
- Streaming service availability
- Widgets and Apple Watch support
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Kernel is the movie and TV show tracker that counts down to every release and tells you where to watch it. Add what you want to see to your watchlist, get a countdown and a reminder on release day, find out where it's streaming in your country, and rate it once you've seen it. Can't remember the title? Describe it and Kernel AI finds it. RELEASE COUNTDOWNS Add upcoming movies and shows and Kernel counts down the days on your Home Screen, Lock Screen and Apple Watch, then reminds you when they're out. WHERE TO WATCH See whether a movie or show is streaming, for rent or to buy on Netflix, Apple TV, Prime Video, Disney+, HBO Max and more, for the country you're in. TOP 10 ON EVERY SERVICE What's most popular right now on Netflix, Apple TV, Disney+, Prime Video and HBO Max. KERNEL AI MOVIE FINDER Forgot the name? Describe the plot, a scene or an actor and Kernel AI finds the movie or show. RATE IT Half-star ratings for movies, shows and every episode, plus the Kernel Rating from everyone else. WATCHLIST AND PLAYLISTS Seen, Upcoming and a playlist for every mood, synced with iCloud. SHARE WITH FRIENDS Send a movie, show or episode. The link opens straight in Kernel and shows a rich preview in Messages. WIDGETS AND APPLE WATCH Countdown, Up Next and Kernel AI widgets, a Control Center button, and an Apple Watch app with complications. ON EVERY SCREEN iPhone, Apple Watch, Apple TV and Apple Vision Pro, and made for iPhone Duo. Kernel is a tracker and a guide. It doesn't play movies itself; it shows you where you can watch them. Available in English and Spanish. KERNEL PREMIUM Kernel AI includes free searches every month. Kernel Premium unlocks unlimited Kernel AI searches and opens any title in its streaming app with one tap. Kernel Premium is a weekly, monthly or yearly auto-renewing subscription. Payment is charged to your Apple Account when you confirm the purchase. It renews automatically unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel it any time in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://kernelmovieapp.com/privacy-policy.html Movie and show information, posters and artwork belong to their respective owners. Studio logos and other trademarks belong to their respective owners.
Runtime TV
Stream award-winning movies and series for free, anytime and anywhere. Create personalized playlists of your favorite titles and enjoy live broadcasts or on-demand content from an extensive catalog.
- Free movie and series streaming
- Live and on-demand content
- Award-winning entertainment
- Cross-device compatibility
- Customizable playlists
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Runtime is your new favorite destination for the best in entertainment. Binge your favorite movies and series anytime, anywhere, and absolutely free! On Runtime you can: - Stream award-winning content from any device you want. - Watch titles live and see what is coming up next, or choose from our extensive catalog and stream it on demand. - Create your own fav playlist with the movies and series you love the most.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Runtime TV at 4.7 against Kernel's 4.0. Runtime TV also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ratings volume (1.2K vs 226). Kernel's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 months). On price, review sentiment and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Kernel sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. Runtime TV asks for nothing beyond the download.
Runtime TV holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Runtime TV has 1.2K ratings behind it against 226, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 65% of Kernel's written reviews are positive against 66% of Runtime TV's.
Kernel ships an update every 2 weeks, Runtime TV every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Kernel | Runtime TV |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (226 ratings) | 4.7 (1.2K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 64.6% of reviews | 65.8% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 226 | 1.2K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Subscription | Ad-supported — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch, Vision Pro | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, Vision Pro |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 37 MB | 47 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | +12 |
| Developer | Nikias Molina | Runtime Media |
Customer experience
Kernel
Runtime TV
User reviews
Kernel
From 226 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Gorgeous, minimalist design
- 🚀 Simple, clean, beautiful and intuitive design
- 💡 Great app to keep track of movies
- 💡 Fantastic UI, looks great and works smooth
Room to improve
- 🐛 Missing key features like rating movies/shows
- 🐛 Notifications don't work, app is unresponsive
- 🐛 Inconsistent, buggy, and crashes often
- 🐛 Annoying notifications prompt on every app launch
Runtime TV
From 1.2K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Great app
- 🚀 Smooth and easy to use
- 💎 Excellent content quality
- 🎥 Wide variety of movies and shows
Room to improve
- 🐛 App crashes or freezes
- 🔍 Limited search and filtering options
- 💰 Too many ads interrupting content
- 🌐 Unavailable in certain regions
Bugs and requests
Kernel
Reported bugs
3 issues- Apple Watch app doesn't work, shows blank screen
- Release dates are sometimes inaccurate
- Can't remove movies from 'Upcoming' playlist after release
Requested features
6 requests- Add ability to rate movies and shows
- Implement a 'mark all as seen' feature for TV shows
- Allow sorting playlists manually
- Add support for more streaming services
- Integrate Rotten Tomatoes ratings
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Develop an iPad version of the app
Runtime TV
Reported bugs
4 issues- Unable to log in or create account
- Playback issues like audio/video desync
- Orientation lock not working properly
- Certain movies/shows not loading
Requested features
4 requests- Add Chromecast/TV casting support
- Provide original audio and subtitle options
- Improve content library with more recent titles
- Implement language translation and localization
In-app purchases
Kernel
- Weekly$0.997 Days
- Monthly$1.991 Month
- Yearly$15.991 Year
Runtime TV
No in-app purchases
